Kristen Bell Lets Her Kids Drink Non-Alcoholic Beer — What to Know About the Brewed Alternative

Dr. Lisa Ganjhu spoke to PEOPLE about whether or not non-alcoholic beer is healthy and who should be drinking it

Earlier this week, Kristen Bell revealed during an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show that although it “sounds insane,” she lets her two daughters — Delta, 8, and Lincoln, 9 — drink non-alcoholic beers alongside her husband Dax Shepard, who is a recovering addict.

Non-alcoholic beer is a brewed beverage that’s modeled to smell, look and taste like real craft beer, but it only contains trace amounts of alcohol. It's made for people who enjoy the taste of beer or the experience of drinking it, but who want to avoid alcohol.

PEOPLE spoke to Dr. Lisa Ganjhu — clinical associate professor of medicine in gastroenterology and liver diseases at NYU — about what consumers should know about non-alcoholic beer and whether it’s good for you.

Is there alcohol in non-alcoholic beer?

Non-alcoholic beers are not 100% alcohol free. Federal law states that non-alcoholic beer must have less than 0.5% ABV (alcohol by volume). Some beers have 0.0% ABV, which allows them to be labeled as alcohol-free beers. Meanwhile, other non-alcoholic beers come close to the 0.5% ABV limit. Many non-alcoholic beers do not specify the percentage and simply list that their beers are less than 0.5% ABV.

Although many non-alcoholic beers are not entirely alcohol-free, Ganjhu says consumers shouldn’t be too alarmed because many common foods and beverages also have similar low percentages of alcohol due to the use of flavoring extracts or from natural fermentation, including ripe bananas (0.2-0.4% ABV), fruit juices (0.04-0.5% ABV), yogurt (0.05-2% ABV), breads (1.18-1.28% ABV), and more.

“There is some amount of alcohol in non-alcoholic beer but it's small. It's not like you can get drunk per se off of it, but it's still in there,” she tells PEOPLE. 

Related: Kristen Bell Reveals Her Daughters Enjoy Drinking Non-Alcoholic Beer: 'You Can Judge Me'

Is non-alcoholic beer good for you?

Since alcohol is toxic to the body, non-alcoholic beer is a better option than regular craft beer. Reducing any alcohol intake is beneficial for overall health. However, that does not mean it is nutritious or "healthy" — it still contains high calories and carbohydrates.

“When I tell my patients about cutting back or stopping drinking, I don't tell them to substitute the alcoholic beer for non-alcoholic beer,” Ganjhu says. “I usually just say to stay away from that because it is still extra carbohydrates. It's not necessarily healthy in general.”

Is non-alcoholic beer good for recovering addicts?

“Addiction in general is such a complicated condition because there's the physical need for the alcohol and then there's the psychological need for it. So by drinking non-alcoholic beer, you're just kind of satisfying your head thinking that you're actually drinking beer,” Ganjhu explains. “It'll work for them if they want to still continue to socialize, or if they say they like the taste of beer and they want to continue drinking beer, but not have the alcoholic component of the liver issues, the pancreatic issues, all the other complications of alcohol. So I think for an adult it's a good option. It's just an alternative to drinking beer with your buddies. ”

Although non-alcoholic beer can be an alternative for some people, it may not be the best option for all people in recovery from alcohol.

Experts stress that everyone's addiction is different, and no one’s recovery journey looks the same. For someone having a more difficult battle with addiction, even non-alcoholic beer can be a gamble — it could open the door for the body and brain to fall back into familiar patterns of alcohol abuse or addiction.

Related: Buzz-worthy Brands Without the Booze! See Which Celebrities Have Launched Non-Alcoholic Drink Lines

Is it okay for children to consume non-alcoholic beer?

Despite non-alcoholic beers containing very low percentages of alcohol, similar to many everyday foods and drinks, experts do not recommend allowing children to consume it. Non-alcoholic beer can still increase the risk for addiction while possibly having a psychological impact on a child.

“The whole point of non-alcoholic beer, it's just an alternative for real beer for adults, not for a child,” Ganjhu emphasizes. “Most pediatricians will say it's probably not a good idea to give a child that. You don't know if that will kind of trigger them to drink more beer when they're older. Who knows? What are the long-term issues that would come from that?”

“It's also kind of like having children drinking soda,” she adds. “I mean, you're not gonna say it's good for them to drink soda. Water or milk is considered safe for children for beverages rather than any kind of caffeinated or high sugary soda. I think non-alcoholic beer would kind of fall in that puddle of drinks where you don't really wanna give your kids.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.